Plymouth Dome facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Plymouth Dome |
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Seen in 2022 as The Dome
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| General information | |
| Location | Plymouth Hoe |
| Town or city | Plymouth |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Coordinates | 50°21′50″N 4°08′31″W / 50.36383°N 4.14203°W |
| Current tenants | Inns of Cornwall and Devon |
| Completed | 20 July 1988 |
The Plymouth Dome is a building in Plymouth, Devon, in the United Kingdom. It is located on Plymouth Hoe, a famous waterfront area. Today, it is a restaurant.
For many years, the Plymouth Dome was a popular museum and visitor attraction. It showed the history of Plymouth. The museum opened in 1989 and closed in 2006. It had different themed rooms and two special viewing areas. These areas looked out over Plymouth Sound, which is a large bay. In 2021, new owners opened a restaurant called Ocean View Bar and Dining at The Dome.
Contents
The Story of Plymouth Dome
How the Dome First Opened
The Plymouth Dome building was finished in 1988. Even though it opened to the public in 1989, a very special guest visited it early. Queen Elizabeth II came to the building on July 20, 1988.
During her visit, the Queen unveiled a plaque. This plaque celebrated an important event: the 400th anniversary of the first battle of the Spanish Armada. The Spanish Armada was a large fleet of ships sent by Spain to invade England. The official opening for everyone happened in November 1989. A diplomat from New Zealand, Bryce Harland, helped open it.
Changes and Closure of the Museum
In 2004, it was reported that about 60,000 people visited the museum each year. However, by 2006, fewer and fewer people were coming. Because of this, the Plymouth City Council had to think about what to do with the building.
In March 2006, the Council decided to let a company called the Wykeham Group use the building. This group planned to spend a lot of money, about £750,000. They wanted to create a restaurant inside the building, along with an exhibition area. But these plans never happened, and the Plymouth Dome museum closed its doors.
A New Restaurant Opens
The building stayed empty for more than five years after the museum closed. Then, in late 2011, there was exciting news. A famous chef named Gary Rhodes announced he wanted to open a restaurant there.
The new restaurant, called Rhodes @ The Dome, was planned to open in late 2012. It cost about £1.5 million to create. It finally opened in January 2013. Chef Rhodes stopped working with the restaurant in January 2016. After that, the restaurant was simply called "The Dome."
